Alpha Longing

Chapter 2.1

Takeshi's POV

“Thank you for your hard work today, everyone!” Ren, our bossman, called out. “I know we usually have tomorrow off, but we’re really behind on this project. We have just three more days to finish this floor. I’m sorry to ask this of you.”

And just like that, I know that my long-planned night will go through the drain and now needs to be cut down.

I followed the team to the construction office trailer to pick up my stuff and clock out. My boots were crunching on the gravel, and, like every goddamn day, I got lost in my train of thought, questioning if I could keep doing this. Sometimes I want to give up before finding the reason why I’m still here – alive – while they want me – dead –. You know the reasons you are just in denial. Yet, I hang onto the hope that more kind people like Ren are left in this world.

Even so, I never thought I would end up as a construction worker, not in the wrong way. But my life changed in the spring of my seventeens and on my high school graduation day. Those men, no, those werewolves, showed up and destroyed everything I had in just a spur of a moment.

Running from them and trying to figure out what to do became a daily occurrence. Until one day, I found a job posting about a new construction site and an old witch skilled enough to hide my scent. Luckily, the post offered housing and relocation. Of course, I needed to lie about my identity, but as long as I accepted the requirements, they didn’t even ask for the proper paperwork to hire me. But why would I object if I needed to escape? Ten years later, I’m still working in the industry, and it has been three years since I joined Ren’s crew.

Ren took me under his wing when I relocated to this job without asking more questions than he should have. My ex-boss begged him to hire me because “I needed to move.” Bullshit, I know he thought I was a gangster. He suspected me of what had happened and did not want to fire me without evidence.

I know my tattooed body didn’t help, making me seem even more suspicious.

Ren was initially skeptical because he didn’t need any more employees at the moment. But honestly, I don’t know what convinced him. Maybe he took pity on me. I was in a tight spot, and he saw the desperation in my eyes. And as for my ex-boss, what’s better than washing his hands of a possible murder accusation involving one of his workers? Yes, reputation is everything.

It’s not my fault. They found me again – the same ones who had been chasing me since I was 17, members of the only werewolf pack in Japan, The Towada Pack. Even though I managed to kill all of them that time, the situation was messy. The local authorities determined the cause of death to be a wild animal attack. But of course, they didn’t know it was a were-f*****g-wolf. Me, the supposed wild animal that killed those strangers.

Ding, ding, ding! Guess what? I was the only person who had moved to that town in ages. Something like that had never happened there, and people started to get suspicious.

Now that time has passed, I don’t know what will happen this time. I haven’t walked in my fur since I killed them three years ago, the last time they found me again. Nonetheless, Ren benefits from having a 6-foot-5-inch-tall man, 229 pounds of lean muscle, and stronger than any other man in the crew – it’s a piece of cake in this industry. So, I appreciate the man and won’t complain.

But tonight, I planned to go to the Red Light District to see Hana. She was the new witch I connected with when I moved here with Ren. From the moment we met, we hit it off pretty well. Now we are close friends and sometimes even casual lovers. After all, she is the one helping me hide my scent and even found a way to repress my pheromones and my wolf.

Except it’s been too long. I’m tired of hiding, I’m getting restless, and my pheromones are getting out of control, which scares the hell out of me. And I’ve been using the perfume-like-concoction Hana makes for me more than I should.

Unfortunately, I have only a few drops left, which isn’t enough to keep me in check before I reach her. The beast in me is trying to take over, and if I let it, all my efforts will be in vain. And yes, tonight, I was planning to go there to get laid. I don’t even remember when the last time was.

Still, it’s been six months since Akatsuki, the newbie, showed up, thanks to a shortage in the construction industry. We were told that the Japanese government was granting permission to international students to do some internship exchange. Akatsuki is half-Japanese and has never been here before. Apparently, it was the perfect opportunity for him to visit the country. They offered generous monetary compensation to Ren to have a student complete his internship with him. So now, he is here and is my housemate. I’ve been taking care of him as the bossman requested because I’m the “younger one and level-headed” of the group.

If only Ren knew I’m a walking ticking time bomb.

Anyway, at least I have something to do tomorrow, not just leave some witch’s bed. The Paranormal Council forbids any supernatural-human relationship unless you’re a vampire’s familiar. And who am I kidding? It’s not like I have another werewolf as an option right now. At least witches aren’t humans and are anatomically compatible with shifters. But from what I learned when I was a pup about werewolves’ history, being involved in any emotional relationship with a human can complicate things, and I know that firsthand. Because, like the last time, they can end up…

Akatsuki’s hands clapped in front of my face, pulling me back from my thoughts. His blue eyes bore into mine with an odd intensity. “Takeshi, you with us?” he asked. “The guys are planning to grab some beers and yakitori before heading home. You in?”

“Ah, sure,” I responded. Akatsuki is a great guy with an open mind and a golden retriever attitude. Still, he trusted me too quickly. He talks a lot about his family, friends, and anything else that comes up. In his own way, he’s always looking out for me. And somehow, despite the walls I’d built, he seemed to trust me, a near stranger. Having people like him around makes me question if, someday, I can be part of something bigger and fight for it – a family.

But thinking about family, will I be worthy of having one? Even if I accept my reality? No, I can’t even have a mate. I’m not going to drag them into this. That’s why I keep things casual. Then I remember why longing is a waste of time. I’m a chased lone wolf.

I waved off the thought as I grabbed my backpack and took out my phone. I saw Ren approaching with a crooked smile on his face. “Takeshi boy, I told you it would be different having a kid your age around you. You never wanted to do anything with the crew. Now they even invite you to eat with them. Good, good,” he said while patting me on the shoulder, his strong arms a testament to his years of hard work.

“Nah, that’s Akatsuki’s doing. Nobody dares say no to him. They are either scared or want to make a good impression,” I replied, pointing my phone at Akatsuki.

Ren looked thoughtful, rubbing his chin. “Hmm, could be,” he conceded. Then his warm eyes focused on me., filled with genuine concern. “Speaking of good impressions, you haven’t brought that pretty girlfriend of yours around lately. Did something happen?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I said bitterly. Then, with a chuckle, Ren looked at me as if I had said the most absurd thing. “Yeah, yeah. Youngsters and their lack of commitment. Close the office when everyone is out,” he told me, handing me the spare keys and, with his graying hair and wise, compassionate expression, said goodbye to everyone.

The guys’ complaints started when Ren was no longer in the area. So apparently, I was not the only one who was affected. Akatsuki dragged a well-worn chair and sat beside me. “You’ve been spacing out lately.”

“Just a bit of a headache,” I rubbed my temple, forcing a smile. “Nothing serious,” I answered. Then Akatsuki’s phone rang with the tackiest music I had ever heard. It didn’t surprise me that it was his. He looked at the screen, his eyebrows furrowing, and answered the call.

Eavesdropping on conversations isn’t my intention. Werewolves naturally have sharper hearing than humans. But the strangest thing is that right now, I was not able to hear what the other person said to Akatsuki on the phone, just him answering. Weird.

“Send Aki to the house. I’m going to be there as soon as I can.” When Akatsuki finished, he clenched his hand around the phone, cracking the screen. His face darkened, and I felt a shiver running down my spine. It was as if he had been replaced. A shift in the mood made the bustle die down. The guys started to whisper, and with his massive body as me, he stood up. Annoyed, he said, “I’m sorry, guys, I need to bail out.” And just like that, he left.

I know Ren assigned me Akatsuki, but the guy is just a year younger than me. He has a life too. However, the sudden shift of his attitude, the clenched jaw - it was a side of him I’d never seen. It was honestly awkward and didn’t make sense.

Everyone had already packed up and was leaving. When the last crew member was out, I turned off the lights and did a final check before closing. It’s not good to be too close to humans, even though I work for and with them. But since Akatsuki has been here, I’ve been forced to share more than I want to. So, as I walked out with the crew, I opened the messaging app on my phone.

ME: Can you prepare the bottle early? I need to work tomorrow and can only spend a little time there tonight.

HANA: Ha! Here I thought I would finally be lucky enough to be knotted after months without seeing you.

ME: Nah, I thought you already gave up on that idea, and you know that will never happen. My knot is too precious for you to have it.

HANA: Hey, don’t be a meanie. It’s OK to dream, sweetie!

HANA: I’m finishing it now then… umm, but be careful. The girls have been seeing werewolves in the past few days.

I squinted my eyes and then glanced again at the last text. “Thanks for reminding me why I’ve been miserable for the past ten years,” I muttered.